Southern California -- this just in

Space shuttle Endeavour flies over Santa Barbara, Ventura

September 21, 2012 | 11:39
am

The
space shuttle Endeavour move through the Central Coast of California and over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as it began its entrance to L.A. County.

The shuttle wowed crowds as it flew over a sunny San Francisco, gliding over
the cranes at the Port of Oakland, the glittering waters of the Bay and
the Golden Gate Bridge. It then moved south along the coast, going by Santa Maria, the Vandenburg Air Force Base, Santa Barbara and into Ventura County.

It will enter L.A. County near Malibu.

Endeavour, riding atop a 747, passed the Golden Gate Bridge twice,
thrilling crowds of pedestrians and bicyclists on the bridge's sidewalk.
A crowd of adults and children had their cellphones and snapshot
cameras aimed at the skies when Endeavour appeared as a dot, coming in
from the southeast about 10:15 a.m.

By 10:22, Endeavour came back for a second pass, coursing closer and
lower and buzzing the bridge. As the sound of the plane's engines
drowned out the traffic on the bridge and tourists ran to get the best
vantage point, screams of "Whooo!" could be heard as the shuttle flew
over the suspension bridge.

"It was unbelievable. Did you hear all the clapping? I can't even
believe we're here!" said Polly Lestikow, of Centennial, Colo., who just
happened to be bicycling across the bridge Friday morning, unaware of
NASA's planned show Friday.

The much feared fog was gone by the time Endeavour flew by the Golden Gate.

It was worth the wait, after a few antsy moments on the Golden Gate Bridge.

From the Bay Area, Endeavour was headed south to Monterey and then to Los Angeles.

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